I wouldn't recommend a six to eight hour ride for a first pillion ride. I'd suggest something way shorter.
What about north on the Northern Motorway, off at Greville Rd interchange, up the hill to Albany village and on up the hill out of Albany village and left onto the Coatesville-Riverhead Hwy (# 28) just after the GAS service station. Go through Coatesville to Riverhead, stop at the Kauri Cafe in School Rd after you've gone across the bridge into Riverhead or at the Riverhead pub at the bottom of Queens St. Come home by continuing on #28 until you reach SH 16, left towards the city and home on the NW Motorway.
Or north on the Northern /way to the Silverdale interchange, turn off left towards Dairy Flat, turn up Pine Valley Rd or Kahikatea Flat Rd to Kaukapakapa and run north on SH16 to Wellsford. Come home on SH1, pull in to Warkworth for a cuppa (there's a couple of good cafes in Warkworth, particularly the Riverview Cafe on the side of the Mahurangi stream off the main street through Warkworth - you might recognise the boardwalk they filmed on for 800 Words).
Or you could carry on down to the Puhoi turnoff and have lunch at the Puhoi Tavern, a nice burger and a cuppa out on the lawn, lots of bikes to look at.
Take the coast road to the left where the toll tunnel starts through Waiwera, and stop in the main street of Orewa for a late cuppa, on through Silverdale to the motorway and home.
That'd be about the max I'd take a new pillion rider, and even the route home on SH1 might be questionable and it may be better to come back on SH16 through Kaukapakapa and either across for a cuppa in Orewa or carry on down to Helensville, Kumeu and home the NW Motorway.
There are two songs, "Stairway to Heaven" and "Highway to Hell" which I think give an indication of expected traffic flow
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